A man identified as Aliyu Bala has been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment and 20 strokes of the cane for r@ping his neighbor’s 10-year-old daughter in Minna, Niger State.
The court also ordered the convict to pay N250,000 in compensation to the victim.
After the judgment, authorities took the convict Aliyu Bala to the Hakimi Palace in Bosso, where he was publicly flogged in the presence of community members.
The Director-General of the Niger State Child Rights Agency, Barrister Ummul-kalthume Muhammad, described the development as an unprecedented step to show that the government does not take sexual offences against children lightly.
She said the public enforcement was intended to send a strong warning to anyone who thinks they can abuse children and escape justice.
Muhammad also called on communities to stop protecting or hiding people who commit such offences.
A representative of the Niger State Ministry of Justice, Shafa, described the judgment as an important development that could set a precedent for how similar cases are handled.
She urged members of the public to report suspected cases of child abuse instead of allowing offenders to escape justice.
According to her, the victim’s mother initially considered withdrawing the case, but later decided to allow the legal process to continue after understanding the importance of seeking justice for the child and holding the accused accountable.
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